ALBANY – Senator Michelle Hinchey (D-Saugerties) has introduced a bill that would provide municipalities with the funding stream they need to finance water system upgrades and maintenance backlogs through the state budget.
If adopted, the bill would create the Safe Water Infrastructure Action Program (SWAP), a drinking water, sanitary sewer, and stormwater infrastructure funding plan. Hinchey introduced an updated version of the bill, originally carried by fellow upstate Senator James Tedisco (R, C-Glenville), after discussions about shared water infrastructure issues across their respective regions.
SWAP funds would be appropriated annually through the state budget, similar in scope to the Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS), and earmarked for municipalities to enable a faster timeline for communities to replace and repair aging water infrastructure. Under the bill, municipalities would also have the ability to leverage additional clean water funding from the federal government through a matching scheme for eligible infrastructure projects.
